EuroCheapo is teaming up with airberlin and visitBerlin to offer this unique “Fall of the Wall” trip giveaway. Join the country in celebrating the end of a political division and the beginning of a peaceful reunification.

Spend the weekend of November 7-9 visiting artistic exhibits, touring the former Wall, taking in some theater, and experiencing the illuminated helium balloon installation along the former Wall’s border. And those are just a few of the festivities you could partake in. Read about many more here.

One lucky winner will receive:

• Two round-trip tickets on airberlin from the US to Berlin in November 2014.

• Complimentary accommodation for three nights in central Berlin, courtesy of visitBerlin.

How to enter

To enter to win, simply fill in the form below. By entering this contest, you will also be subscribing to EuroCheapo’s “Weekly Cheapo” newsletter.

On July 16th, we’ll randomly draw the name of one lucky winner. It’s that simple. Hopefully, you can join the party this November in Berlin. Good luck!

Sorry, this contest has now ended.

Contest rules

• Winner will be randomly chosen on July 16 and contacted by email. Winner will be given 24 hours to respond to the notification email. If no response is received within 24 hours, this entry will be voided and EuroCheapo will draw another winner.

• Winner receives two Economy Class seats on airberlin from any airberlin US departure airport to Berlin Tegel, valid for November 2014 travel.

• Three nights accommodation will be provided in a Berlin hotel or hostel (private room with bath).

• Participants must be at least 18 years old at date of entry. Other rules and restrictions apply. Contest is open to the public.

• By entering this contest, you are also subscribing to EuroCheapo’s “Weekly Cheapo” newsletter.

• Only one entry will be permitted per person.

• Current EuroCheapo newsletter subscribers and past contest participants are not automatically entered into the contest, and must fill out the form above to be entered into this contest.

The post Enter to win 2 tickets to Berlin this November to celebrate the fall of the Wall! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The best part? You choose the destination! Fly from any airberlin US departing airport to any airberlin European arrival.

Where do you feel like flying? Berlin? Stockholm? Milan? Munich? Vienna? Copenhagen? Prague? There are dozens of cities to choose from!

On March 11, we’ll randomly select 15 finalists who will be asked to explain where they’d like to fly in 25 words or less. We’ll force you to keep it short and sweet! We’ll then post the entries in our blog and let our readers vote on their favorite, and choose a winner!

Contest closed

Please note that this contest has been closed to entries. Thanks for reading!

Contest terms and conditions:

• Prize consists of two airberlin round-trip tickets from airberlin’s US departure airports to an airberlin arrival airport in Europe in economy class, subject to availability. Travel must be completed by April 1, 2015. Participants must be at least 18 years old at date of entry. Other rules and restrictions apply. Contest is open to the public.

• Only one entry will be permitted per person.

• Current EuroCheapo newsletter subscribers and past contest participants are not automatically entered into the contest, and must fill out the form above to be entered into this contest.

• By entering the airberlin and EuroCheapo trip giveaway, you agree to receive top offers and information about airberlin and EuroCheapo by email.

Thank you, and good luck!

The post Enter here to win 2 free flights to Europe on airberlin! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Valerie’s submission, a fabulously illustrated series of vignettes, tells of her trip to Berlin in the 1960s, and of her longing to revisit the city, witness the changes, the new additions, and see some old friends.

The winning submission by Valerie O. of Washington State.

Difficult decisions

Valerie’s submission was chosen by our panel of four judges, including Johnny Jet, Nomadic Matt, Grant Martin and myself. Each of us cast a private ballot, and each of us selected Valerie as one of our top three choices. Tallying up the votes, she was the clear winner.

This isn’t to say that the choice was an easy one. There were so many fantastic entries — and so many close calls. If you haven’t already, take a moment to check out the 14 finalists. You’ll meet:

• a social media sensation with a great following (Anna)
• a hilarious German-speaker with a fondness for pop-star “Nena” (Chelsea)
• a thoughtful nursing student (Julie, who also received the most votes from readers in our poll)
• a husband-and-wife team that truly deserves a trip (Greg & Emily)
• a Canadian longing for Berlin’s history (Kris)
• a kind gent whose father-in-law competed in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin (Arthur)

And that’s only half the group! All of them spoke of their fondness for travel and of their appreciation of Berlin. If only they could all go!

Obviously, this was not an easy call. So many of these received votes from the four judges, but only Valerie placed in the “top three” for all of the judges on our panel.

Many thanks

We really appreciate the time that each of these finalists put into their submissions, and in rallying their friends to show their support. Thanks for your entries, and we look forward to announcing our next giveaway.

Until then, congrats to Valerie, and Gute Reise!

The post Congrats to Valerie, our Summer in Berlin Giveaway Winner! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

We posted our contest last month and more than 1,500 of you entered! Of the 25 finalists we randomly selected two weeks ago, the 14 contestants below responded. We asked them to answer one simple question: Why would you like to go to Berlin?

They responded with essays (long and short!), photographs, videos, illustrations and even a “Top 10” list. It’s a fascinating and original set of answers, illustrating a very diverse group of Cheapos out there!

Next week our panel of celebrity judges (including Johnny Jet, Nomadic Matt and Gadling’s Grant Martin) will join me in selecting one of these finalists as the winner. We will send them (and a guest) on a free round-trip to Berlin from the United States on airberlin, along with five free nights at the A&O Hostel and Hotel and free sightseeing vouchers courtesy of Visit Berlin.

Question: Why would you like to go to Berlin?

Here are the 14 entries, in no particular order. After you’ve read them, help us out—vote for your favorite at the bottom of this post and let your voice be heard!

#1: Cheryl

Top Ten Reasons I Want a Trip to Berlin

10. I’m a fact checker for EPCOT, and I want to get clear on a few things.
9. In 1975 I drove a Volkswagen Beetle, and I have a bone to pick with the guy who designed the heater.
8. Like JFK I am a jelly doughnut.
7. I need to get a pin from Hard Rock Berlin to complete my collection.
6. I’m a huge fan of Black Forest Cake and want to do a pilgrimage to its birthplace.
5. I just love saying “schnitzel.”
4. It’s always Oktoberfest somewhere.
3. I want to drive 110 mph in the left lane and have someone flash their lights because I’m driving too slowly.
2. Someone needs to explain David Hasselhoff to me.
1. I’m pretty sure in my past life I was a German Shepherd and I want to find my way home.

#2: Valerie

#3: Richard

Thank you. Was born 79 years ago and am as active as many who are 49 (I run, bow hunt, canoe, do wilderness camping, etc.). Both my ancestors and my wife’s are from Germany, and we’ve never had the opportunity to visit “the Fatherland.” We want very much to go, and know that unless we win something like this we never will be able to go. Please keep us in consideration!

#4: Chelsea

#5: Cindy

“Your email was chosen as a finalist in the EuroCheapo / Airberlin “Summer in Berlin” giveaway that you entered.

Can you believe it!? You see, I have been to Berlin before! In fact, I was there in the dead of winter, when I could barely step outside to see the sights, sounds and smells that are Berlin. At that moment, I decided that I did not like Berlin! It was too industrial and cold for me. I said something along the lines of “What a cold, dark place Berlin is.  Dull grey is its color.”

Yes I said those words… gasp! I know, but there is more…

“Love and Berlin do not go in the same sentence for me.”  “I have heard there are some beautiful places in the countryside to visit in Germany, and even world renown traveler Rick Steves says that the most beautiful castle in Europe is in central Germany, so I haven’t given up on Berlin or Germany yet, but Berlin it is not my cup of tea.” And now karma is here to offer me a “Summer in Berlin”?!

How ironic! It could be the perfect test for me to see if I really do not like Berlin.

Could it have been the weather? Cold and bleak nights.

The mood? Stuck in my hotel room at night with spotty internet!

My company? Alone.

The architecture? Industrial and cranes/construction everywhere.

Even more irony is that while there, protestors were in full force to keep the Berlin Wall UP! That’s right, UP. Not DOWN! Oh, the complicated life of this unlikely tourist attraction. Since its fall in 1989, Berlin was in a hurry to get rid of The Wall.  After it came down, Berlin sent pieces of The Wall everywhere. Now, there are only sections of The Wall left standing. A luxury apartment building was trying to be built where one section of the wall stands today and that was just too much for Berliners to take.

Since it will be Summer and the weather warm, now I am ready to try a few things I missed in the dead of Winter:

• Eat al fresco on Potsdamer Platz at cafe PS-ZWO!
• Go biking around Berlin, for a fast and easy way to get around!
• Take in all the sites using my Berlin Welcome Card!
• Take a tour inside of Berlin’s secret abandoned sky station!
• Eat at this tiny eatery called W Der Imbiss, a favorite among the locals.
• Go dancing at a dance hall that survived the world war, maybe even do a little Swing, or Cha Cha Cha.

Thanks Berlin for giving me another chance! In the end, I know that I will be glad to go back to Berlin. I didn’t see what the fuss was about the first time I went, but after this visit in the Summer, I just know I will enjoy you!

#6. Arthur

It has always been a dream of my wife to visit the Olymplastadion in Berlin. Her father, Archie San Romani, competed there for the United States in the 1936 Olympics. He placed 4th in the 1,500 meter race. He spoke about the beauty of the German countryside and it’s people.

This is a dream that, with your and airberlin’s help, I can fulfill for her.

#7. Kris

Why would I like to visit Berlin? I have been a fan of history my whole life, and European history in particular, yet I have never been to Europe. I have visited Berlin in my mind through the pages of history books, yet I have never been able to walk its streets in person. I have seen photos and video of the Brandenburg Gate and the fall of the Berlin wall, yet never stood in its shadow and contemplated how it would have felt to be there at the time. The museums of Berlin hold historical treasures from all over the world. To be able to see the reconstructed Ishtar Gate of Babylon in the Pergamon museum would alone make the trip worthwhile. The Egyptian museum with its completely unique pieces that you cannot see elsewhere would be another highlight. Coming from western Canada, local recorded history does not go back much beyond one hundred years, so a city dating well over a thousand is something I long to see.

My beautiful wife is excited to see the modern, artistic, architectural side of Berlin. A stroll through the Tiergarten is definitely on her list as is a visit to fairy tale Pfaueninsel island and the Prenzlauer Berg with its funky shops and cafes. She is particularly intrigued by the unsicht-Bar where blind waiters serve you in the dark to give you a taste of what it feels like the be sightless.

We may be biting off more than we can chew in just 5 days, but this trip would fulfill life-long dreams for both of us. It would be a great first taste of Europe, a place we dream of seeing again and again.

#8. Anna

Hi! I’m Anna! Traveling to Berlin has always been a dream of mine. If I had the opportunity to go I would enthusiastically explore every inch of Berlin! From all of the history that has taken place in the city to the incredible street art. I love how Berlin has transformed to a place where a diversity of people come to enjoy life. I’ve imagined taking a cruise down the river Spree, the stunning architecture of Sanssouci Palace, the many museums, the magnificent elephants at Tierpark Zoo and trying the best bratwurst from a local street vendor. I not only want experience everything Berlin has to offer but I want to share this great city with the world through my photography on my travel page The Legendary Adventures of Anna!

#9. Lynn

Nothing particularly original here, but like most people, I’ve waited my whole life to do things (like go visit Berlin and other parts of Europe) thinking “I’ll go later when it’s more convenient”. I’m now 66 years old and running out of all that time I thought I had so much of. This is a “Cheapo” way to get there, but I’ll take any way I can at this point.

#10: Ken

I’ve always wanted to visit Germany in general and Berlin in particular! My aunt was a Berliner and met my uncle during WW II. My aunt, as well as her mother who moved to the US, were great cooks and I loved visiting them. I’m an avid reader of WWII spy novels, and would love to see the remains of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, and other sites that feature prominently in those novels.

Berlin will be a great place to eat, drink, people watch, and take in some gay clubs. I might even become a temporary Freikörperkultur. That’s something you don’t get in the US! And I promise to tell you all about it!

#11: Julie

#12: Melinda

The Whispers of Berlin

What drives me to want to travel to Berlin? I don’t have family, or lineage from there. I am not exceedingly connected to German culture. I don’t speak German, watch German films, or know much German music.

But as an observer of people, a cultural artist and travel writer, I am fascinated by the possibilities that Berlin holds. It brings up questions for me; some of which are uncomfortable and provocative. As I travel around the world, and certainly since my relocation to South America, I seek out the answer to the question of culture? What makes community? What encourages loyalty? What supports feelings of unity within a group. Berlin is ripe for this kind of questioning!

Identified as a hub for culture, art, and fashion, Berlin is becoming the “go to” place in Europe. But I wonder what kind of whisperings are going unheard under these louder, albeit true, pronouncements? More than twenty years after the destruction of the wall and the reunification of a country and a city, I want to pay attention to the subtleties of this place. I want to hear the music, witness the art, wander along the line where the wall once stood and see what I can learn from this remarkable experiment of a once strong culture divided and reunited.

Has it healed? Is it still in process? Is Berlin transformed? Five days of getting to know Berlin as a curious tourist, I may be lucky enough to hear the whispers.

#13: John

A dozen years ago, I began my love affair with European travel. Teaching high school in my early 20s, I escaped to Europe and traveled on the cheap for 4 consecutive years. I spent most of my time in Italy, but also went through Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany. And then I met that special someone and life became more complicated. I’m sure that she was drawn in my by air of well-traveled sophistication, and we planned to travel together, but as our lives became more and more entwined, we were never able to go abroad. Now, my wife is not the jealous type, she’s never batted an eye when I’ve spoken of past girlfriends, but she has obviously always been jealous of my travels abroad. She’s seen me give postcards of curvaceous Italian hill-towns a knowing look that lingered just a little too long, and her jealousy has been palpable. Our first child seemed to spell the doom of our travel hopes, and our second put the nail in the coffin, which has only caused the jealousy to fester.

But then, just this spring, we resolved to perfect our marriage by getting this contentious subject behind us, planning a trip to Italy. As we are not only parents but also recently took on a mortgage, it went without saying that they only way this would happen would be on the cheap, and it turned out that a flight from Chicago to Rome could actually be had quite inexpensively… as long as you didn’t mind flying one airline from Chicago to Detroit to Paris to Istanbul, and then pausing for 11 hours before taking a different airline to Rome. The price was right, so we booked it.

My in-laws graciously took their grandkids for the 11 days we would be gone and off we went. As we exited our Chicago to Detroit flight, the bag we’d had to gate-check was the first one brought up and I thought “This must be our lucky day!” Which, of course, meant that it wasn’t.

The shortest version I can manage is this: a woman on our flight had a heart attack over the Atlantic, so we had to fly 40 minutes back to a remote outpost in Newfoundland, sit there for two hours while they got her to medical treatment, rummaged through the cargo for her bags, refueled, and, since all that took so long, de-iced the plane (we heard later that the woman, who was traveling alone with an infant, was okay). Hours later, as we approached the mainland of Europe, perhaps another 40 minutes out from Paris, our flight crew told us that there was “good news and bad news.” The latter was that, as they were over their allowed flying time, we would be landing in Brest rather than Paris, and getting a new flight crew. I can only guess that the good news was that they were getting the hell off the plane, but that was never made explicit. We never heard anything that sounded like good news. Two hours and no further communication later, we were allowed to get back on the plane and head to Paris, where they had an exhaustingly-long queue formed up just for us to receive hotel rooms and meal tickets for the night, served up by Air France employees who seemed to understand neither our language nor our country’s work ethic—I’m not making this up: with no explanation, when their shift was over, the entire group of what I hesitate to call customer service representatives got up and left without a word, while their replacements took 10-15 minutes to filter in. Realizing that night that we couldn’t possibly get to Istanbul in time for our flight, we contacted our other airline with great difficulty and, with no sympathy for our situation, were allowed to pay $350 to change our ticket to something we actually could, theoretically, catch. When we got to the gate in Istanbul, however, we were informed that we did not have tickets. Boarding passes, yes. Tickets, no. Because our credit card, representatives of which we had informed that we were traveling abroad, had flagged the ticket purchase as possibly fraudulent and declined the charge. So now we would have to pay in Turkish lire instead of US dollars, which would incur a foreign transaction fee. Also, the travel rep we spoke with had misinformed us: it would be $350 each. But hey, it was either that or spend our entire trip in Istanbul. Despite the appeal of, perhaps, finding out why they changed the name (ignoring, of course, the advice that it’s nobody’s business but the Turks’), we decided to pay up and head out. In case you’re curious, the flight was still cheaper than a direct flight would have been, but only just barely. When you factor in the headaches, not so much.

You’re probably also curious at this point why I’ve chosen to tell this long story, when I’m supposed to be writing about why I want to visit Berlin. Here’s the thing: I’ve been to Berlin, once, in a whirlwind day of sightseeing, in which our 70-year-old tour guide ran my 23-year-old self to exhaustion. But that means that Berlin is still one of the travel destinations I’ve been with that my wife has not. It’s still one of those places. At the same time, and perhaps contradictorily, I’m starting to fear that after our preposterously difficult trip, my wife may be starting to disbelieve the luster that always gilded my stories. To curb both the jealousy and the possibility that my wife doesn’t really believe that European travel is all it’s cracked up to be, it is more or less necessary for the sake of preserving our marriage that we get to Berlin, pronto. Sorry, schnell. And if we could do it without heart attacks, labor stoppages, or change fees, that would be sehr gut.

14: Greg & Emily

In our eight years as a couple, Greg and I have never gotten to really travel together. We’ve driven to our native Ohio for family visits many times – but that doesn’t count, does it? I used to be quite the world traveler. I loved meeting people from around the world, trying new foods, and soaking up the scenery of foreign lands. I was happy to work three jobs at a time in various restaurants to make that happen. These days, though, I have grown quite attached to my day job. I work at an international nonprofit that does HIV and AIDS education in Malawi. My job rocks but it doesn’t pay me enough to even consider international trips.

Greg moved to Asheville, NC with me last fall – for my awesome job. He took a big chance for the good of our relationship. And it’s paid off; just not financially. To help me pursue my dream, Greg left a great job that allowed him to illustrate for a living. That’s Greg’s dream.

Greg loves German culture. He took German in high school, had a close friend in a German exchange student, and had another really good friend who married a darling fräulein from the Black Forest. I would love to be able to offer this trip to Greg as a thank you: a thank you for taking the big leap that’s kept us together but separated him from his career. I would also like to share the experience of traveling abroad with Greg. Traveling offers opportunities for such profound growth and I would love to share those experiences with him.

Vote!

Although our judges will ultimately select our winner, they can be influenced! Vote below to tell them which of these finalists you think should win!

The post Vote for your favorite finalist in the Berlin dream trip giveaway! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

We’ve teamed up again with our friends over at airberlin to give away another fantastic and free roundtrip for two from New York’s JFK airport to anywhere airberlin flies in Europe!

Start packing your bags, folks, because someone is about to get lucky. Why shouldn’t it be you?

Did you enter our last flight giveaway? No problem. You’re welcome to enter this one, too!

Want to canoodle in Copenhagen? Dance in Dusseldorf? Vamp in Vienna? (Okay, we’re getting carried away here, but you get the idea.)

To enter, simply fill out the form below. We’ll draw the name of one lucky winner on Tuesday, December 4, 2012.

Sign up here to win!

Contest terms and conditions

• Prize consists of two airberlin round-trip tickets from New York to anywhere airberlin flies in Europe in economy class, subject to availability. Travel must be completed by October 31, 2013. Participants must be at least 18 years old at date of entry. Other rules and restrictions apply. Contest is open to the public.

• Only one entry will be permitted per person.

• By entering the airberlin and EuroCheapo sweepstakes, you agree to receive top offers and information about airberlin and EuroCheapo by email.

Good luck, Cheapos!

The post Flight Giveaway! Win a free trip to Europe with airberlin! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The summer travel season is heating up, Cheapos, and what better way to celebrate than by winning a free trip to Germany?

EuroCheapo has teamed up with airberlin and A&O Hostels to offer one very lucky Cheapo a freebie trip for two from New York City to Germany.

Trip Details

The grand prize winner will receive a round-trip flight for two people from New York’s JFK airport to any city airberlin flies to in Germany.

And to make it even more appealing, our friends at A&O Hostels will pitch in five free nights in a double room with free breakfast at any A&O Hostels location, subject to availability.

Sign up here to win!

Simply fill out the form below to enter the trip giveaway. You’ll also be signing up to receive special offers from airberlin and EuroCheapo.

We’ll be randomly selecting the lucky winner on July 17, 2012.

Contest terms and conditions:

* Prize consists of two airberlin round-trip tickets from New York to Germany in economy class, subject to availability. Travel must be completed by March 31, 2013. Participants must be at least 18 years old at date of entry. Other rules and restrictions apply. Contest is open to the public.

* Only one entry will be permitted per person.

* By entering the airberlin and EuroCheapo sweepstakes, you agree to receive top offers and information about airberlin and EuroCheapo by email.

Good luck, Cheapos!

The post Win a trip to Germany, courtesy of airberlin, A&O Hostels and EuroCheapo! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Just in time for summertime shindigs in the sun or picnics by moonglow, it’ll hold tight nine bottles of your favorite beverages. (By the way, this prize was purchased at Galeries Lafayette at a whopping 30 percent discount. Sometimes, Cheapos, a hot deal can be found at the “grand magasins”! Just sayin’.)

Why Périgot?

Because we’re picky! Be swayed. Its sweet “ménage à trois” of color, function, and design will sweep you off your feet. Périgot is the official supplier of feather dusters and other cleaning implements to the Palais de l’ Elysées (the president’s residence) on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré!

What better way to celebrate than Francophile (and Django fan) Woody Allen’s recent announcement that France’s first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy will indeed have a role in his upcoming film “Midnight in Paris.” As my grandmother Helen J. Wentz would quip, “We’ve all got baggage. It’s how we carry it that matters.”

To win this “Bottle Bag,” just correctly answer the cinema-related question below. The winner will be chosen at random from the correct answers submitted.

Pop Quiz!

Woody Allen included two Django Reinhardt numbers in his film “Stardust Memories.” What were they?

Leave your answers in the comments box below by the stroke of midnight EST Friday, April 30th. Don’t forget to include your email address! Become a Eurocheapo Facebook fan for an extra entry. Bonne chance!

A mural of Reinhardt. Photo by Theodora Brack.

Insider Tip: Square Django Reinhardt (still off the grid!)

Earlier this year, the mayor of Paris honored Reinhardt by renaming the square at rue René Binet and Porte de Clignancourt (Metro Porte de Clignancourt) for him. Reinhardt lived there with his family shortly after World War One, when they moved to Paris from Belgium. Each weekend, the site is home to a gathering of stalls and booths that form an “offsite” market along the approach to the famous Clignancourt Flea Market.

To reach the main flea market (Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen – Porte de Clignancourt) walk beyond Square Django Reinhardt and head underneath the big underpass just down the street.

At 122 rue de Rossiers a block or two into the real market, you’ll find La Chope des Puces, with live music, a spirited bar, and an impressive Django Reinhardt shrine surrounding the big performance space in the rear. Guitar aficionados will find many a wonderful instrument to drool over!

Je te verrai dans mes rêves, Cheapos!

The post Paris Quiz: Celebrating Django Reinhardt with a Perigot bag giveaway appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Be the first Cheapo to correctly answer the New Wave film-related questions below, and we’ll give you a handsome catalog from the exposition, “Les Marins Font La Mode—Sailor Chic in Paris,” accompanied by one sporty Sephora striped travel bag!

Stars in stripes forever!

Photo: Musée de la Marine.

That fantastic exposition of Sailor Chic was presented earlier this year at the Musée de la Marine, located at place du Trocadéro. Whenever history, art, and fashion collide, Cheapos, I am there.

But who hasn’t been touched by the bold stripes of the traditional nautical shirts of Brittany (the coastal region where the French-striped top originated)? This look not only hooked appealingly rugged-types like Picasso, Hemingway, and Jean Paul Gaultier, but also lured Chanel, Rykiel, Schiaparelli, Jean Seberg, Brigitte Bardot, and Audrey Hepburn, just to name a few.

And it continues to captivate. Why, the very shirt that Audrey herself wore in the 1956 film “War and Peace” was recently put up for auction in London!

Beyond the sea!

Beyond the doubt, this French naval history museum is still worth a visit, even though the exhibit has closed. Dive deep into its vast collection of artifacts ranging from Napoleon’s gilded ceremonial barge (with all 24 oars still intact!), the Carmagnolle brothers’ diving suit (at 800 pounds, those brothers were heavy indeed), to toy boats that once belonged to the young Louis XV! (Museum hours are 10 AM to 6 PM. Closed on Tuesdays.)

Afterwards, head to the frip-frip-perie!

“King of Frip.” Photo: Theadora Brack

After your expedition to the museum, why not set out on a quest for the perfect striped shirt of your own? Described by Hemingway as, “very stiff and built for hard wear but softened by washings.”

In the Marais, you’ll find beaucoup de Breton stripes. Get your maritime on at the boutique King of Frip (short for “friperie,” a second-hand clothing shop) at 14 rue Vieille du Temple. Its wide aisles make it a favorite sweet spot of mine.

Though smaller, the Vintage Désir down the street at 32 rue des Rosiers also has bountiful goods. You’ll find the striped booty toward the front of the store, to the left—to the left.

Now, to the quiz:

Jean-Luc Godard’s classic “À bout de soufflé” (“Breathless”) was shot on-location in Paris. In the film, Jean Seberg’s character, a budding journalist named Patricia, wears a magnificent striped dress to a press conference at the old Paris-Orly Airport. Striving to make ends meet, Patricia also sells newspapers on the Champs Élysées.

1. Name the newspaper Patricia so charmingly hawks on the streets of Paris!

2. Also, give us the name of the French store where director Godard (Cheapo at heart) bought the striped dress featured in the scene.

The first Cheapo to answer both questions correctly wins the catalog from the Musée de la Marine’s exposition, “Les Marins Font La Mode—Sailor Chic in Paris,” and a compact spiffy Sephora striped travel bag, to boot! Please leave your answers in the comments box below.

Bonne Chance! Et Bonne Année, Cheapos!

The post Paris Quiz: Blue-striped sailor style and a book give-a-way! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

As a salute to the July 4, 2009 re-opening of the crown of Frédéric Bartholdi’s “Lady Liberty” statue in New York harbor, and the upcoming July 14th Bastille Day in France, we’re giving away a “Teddy” market sac in royal purple created by Frédéric Périgot of Paris.

“Teddy” market sacs by Perigot at the Carrousel du Louvre.

The first Cheapo to answer our question correctly wins the prize. Just leave your answer in the comments box below.

Here’s the big question:

Bartholdi was the artist, but who was the structural engineer of the Union Franco-Americaine Statue of Liberty project?

Leave your answers (and your emails!) in the comments section below to win!

Speaking of Franco-American gifts…

Périgot is the official supplier of feather dusters and other cleaning implements to the Palais de l’ Elysées (the French presidential palace) on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. What could be hipper or sexier than tidying up the pad with black ostrich feathers? “Nothing but the best,” as torch singing French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy said when Michelle Obama recently presented her with a Swank acoustic guitar in turn.

While in Paris

Check out the prototypes of Lady Liberty. You can find them on the Île des Cygnes, in the Jardin du Luxembourg, and at the Musée des Arts et Métiers. And you can find a full-sized version of the torch at the entrance to the Pont de l’Alma tunnel. Nowadays, it serves double duty as the unofficial Princess Di memorial.

Bon Chance!

The post Perigot Bag Contest: Who gave Lady Liberty her structure? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

We love street performers just as much as the next Cheapo. Have any idea where this quintet is making noise? Clue: You might call them renaissance men.

The first correct guess wins a free copy of the book, “Ask Arthur Frommer & Travel Better, Cheaper, Smarter.”

Leave your answer in the comment section below. We’ll reveal the answer later this week.

The post Mystery Photo Wednesday: Where is this band? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.